Sukhbir Singh Badal condemns attack on Manjit Singh GK in California, alleges ISI hand

Amritsar: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Sunday strongly condemned the attack on Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK in California allegedly by pro-Khalistan individuals, during which one of his associates was injured. Addressing a rally in Amritsar on Sunday, the SAD president said the attack was planned by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. “This is not an attack on GK but an attack on our dastaar (turban),” he added. [caption id=“attachment_4293471” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. AFP[/caption] He alleged involvement of “parallel jathedars” behind the attack. Badal alleged that the “parallel Jathedars” had colluded with the Congress to weaken the Sikh ‘Panth’. Significantly, Sikh hardliners had convened a ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ meeting on the outskirts of Amritsar three years ago and announced removal of top Sikh priests including the Akal Takht chief. They had appointed ‘parallel jathedars’ in their place. Badal alleged that some ministers in the Congress government in Punjab were “hand-in-glove” with these “(parallel) Jathedars”. He claimed that these ‘parallel Jathedars’ along with the Congress had “hatched a conspiracy” to implicate the SAD in incidents of sacrilege through the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission’s report. The Commission was set up by the Congress government in the state to probe sacrilege incidents and police firing on protesters at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura three years ago. Manjit Singh GK, who travelled to California following a visit to New York, earlier said the purpose of his visit was to hold discussions among the Sikh community about the 550th birthday anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, to be commemorated 2019. This is the second attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader. He was earlier attacked in New York. GK was visiting the main Gurudwara in Yuba City, California on Sunday when he was attacked by a group of 30-35 people supporting the ‘Khalistan 2020 referendum’. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal also condemned the attack. “It is very unfortunate that in the United States, Sikhs are being repeatedly targeted. This is the handiwork of agencies that want to instigate tensions among the Sikhs. I condemn this incident,” he said. The SGPC chief said that it is the responsibility of the US government to take strict action against the people behind the attack.